Reviews in Brief: Yaya Sakuragi's Tea for Two, Vol. 2

To start off, go read my review of Vol. 1 of Sakuragi's Tea for Two at Epinions.com so the rest of this will make some sense to you.

There -- got a handle on it?

Not that the story is so complicated, but it gets more so in Vol. 2: Tokumaru and Hasune are an established couple now, although a secret one: the sense is that this kind of relationship is not thoroughly approved, although not strongly disapproved in general. Tokumaru has gotten over his shyness about sex, although he still objects to PDAs, even if they're not so public. It's fairly obvious, however, that on Hasune's end of the equation the ruling paradigm has become desire (which, let me note, is a much more complex emotion than simple lust). In fact, the boys' mutual desire now forms the basis of their relationship.

Into this almost-idyll drops Tokumaru's old school friend Goh, who has returned from a year abroad and winds up in Tokumaru's class. Goh is now married and the father of twins, and his dedication and determination to go back and contribute to his new community start Tokumaru thinking about his own future. Then Hasune starts having doubts about his own life -- he is the next head of the family and the next grand master of the tea ceremony, a tradition his family has maintained for generations. He starts to resent what he sees as his lack of freedom in making his own choices. He breaks away and meets Tokumaru, whose reaction, as might be guessed, is the opposite of the expected: he understands, although he can't articulate it very well, the love that Hasune has for his family's traditions, and is appalled at his lover's rebellion. After all, he fell in love with Hasune watching him perform the tea ceremony. To add to his confusion, Goh has suggested that Tokumaru consider traveling with him after graduation as a way of finding his path in life.

Just to make it a little more complicated, Tokumaru, being the impulsive big-mouth he is, comes out to his sister -- by mistake -- and to Goh. His sister is pissed because all of her friends are in love with Hasune; Goh doesn't really approve, but he understands.


The humor that was such a marked element of the first volume is still here, but muted. It forms a gentle, sympathetic undercurrent to what is, after all, a story about kids turning into adults and starting to make decisions about their lives. What I find remarkable is the way that both Tokumaru and Hasune seem to take shape before our eyes, turning from harum-scarum (and in Hasune's case, fairly randy) teenagers into young adults grappling with their futures. The relatively simple motivations become more complex: Tokumaru shows a degree of thoughtfulness and concern for others that are new for him -- it seems that Goh's maturity is rubbing off on him a bit -- while Hasune's eternal horniness is tempered by tenderness and he is able to be much more forthcoming about his insecurities, at least with Tokumaru.

High recommendations again -- this is still one of the best yaoi series I've run across, and it's getting even better: even though the boys are surrounded by sympathy and understanding, the conflicts are real. It's fun watching them start to grow up.

From Blu Manga, and it's just out.